Apple's New iOS 6 Maps App Drawing Significant Criticism

[HarryKNN21]

Turning satellite photos 3D is ridiculous, and it seems quite a lot of data is drained to download 3D blocks for a small area. Users with limited data plans should avoid using 3D maps.

And Google maps are so established because they seek help from everyone living on earth! I am quite look forward to seeing how Apple struggle with their new Map after Siri.

Apple have done a great job on OSX 10.8.2 though, battery life is much improved even on my 15" machine.

 

[stuffradio]

Which is exactly what they were doing. Paid Google boatloads of money and in the end had absolutely no control, thus Google could keep the iOS offering less sophisticated than the Android offering giving Android the advantage (as they should do).

Apple in turn does what they should also do - that is create their own offering they can advance and innovate.

Google wasn't the one building the app. Like the Youtube app, Apple designed it and did everything like that. Google provided the data. It's not Google's fault in that case.

 

[BSben]

I am a big Apple fan, but Apple Maps is rubbish. They made it the main feature of iOS6, and it is well below beta standards. The people who say it works fine for them in their area, probably wouldn't need a map in the first place as they don't seem to use it for travel.
It first appears to be ok in my area, but all pubs, restaurants are all marked in the wrong places. And if you try to find Newport in Wales, you have to search for a business, or you end up on the wrong side of the Bristol Channel.
This has to be the most embarrassing thing that ever came from Apple.

 

[milo]

I'd say the people who are saying "It's a 1.0 product" are the ones who are having no issues with it. I'm one of those people.

Which means they'll be people who will realize they were wrong the first time they go somewhere new that isn't mapped properly. Or they'll be blind fanbois who still insist Apple is perfect as they drive around in circles unable to find their destination.

 

[Worldinmii]

This is just an abject lie. Absolute nonsense. Google Maps has for more than 5 years been one of the best, up-to-date mapping solution available on the internet.

What is with Apple Fanbois and their propensity for distorting reality?

I have all Apple products. I switched to the Mac in 2006. And bought the first iPhone in 2007. I have about 5 iPads, of various generations in my home. And now, as the saying goes: you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. And boy do I know what I had with Google Maps.

If you're an urban dweller -- I live in downtown Toronto -- you just know how fantastic Google Maps is. In Toronto, Google Maps even has maps for the subterranean pedestrian tunnels (the PATH) in Toronto. They even map the alleyways between buildings -- things that aren't even in the best traditional paper maps.

Apple Maps has so much less information it's not even funny. Within my first one hour of playing with it, I found no less than three MAJOR inaccuracies in Toronto.

1. Apple Maps says Canada's Walk of Fame is on Queens Quay at Yonge St. It's not. It's at King & Simcoe... over a mile away!
2. Apple Maps doesn't even acknowledge the existence of the Toronto island airport -- which is a major commuter flight hub (some apple fanboy fool will likely say this airport is unimportant or something ridiculous)
3. But even more hilarious, is Toronto Lester B. Pearson International Airport has been apparently rebranded to "Trans Capital Air 1".

These aren't minor inconveniences. These maps are absolutely useless for anything more than basic street navigation. But MapQuest did basic street navigation in 1999. This isn't 1999. But that's apparently where Apple has decided to take us in their spat with Google.

For shame.

I cancelled my reservation for an iPhone 5. If the Google Maps app magically appears in the AppStore in the next few weeks, maybe I'll re-order an iPhone 5 -- I'm heavily invested in the iOS ecosystem. I still like the OS. But failing that, I'm probably going to go buy a Galaxy Nexus or something.

This is just too painful.

So maybe what people are saying is true and Apple is needing source information from iPhone users to better their mapping service, because I just searched for both Pearson Airport and Centre Island Airport and found both, although yes the Centre Island one (the less important one) was named Trans Capital Air1 Island Airport. But it did locate it and at least had Island Airport in the name?

I agree that I have been shocked with how bad it was when first released....but.....if this continues and after just one day this info has been updated....HOPEFULLY???........

 

[thefizzle657]

Apple should just leave some things to Google.

This. "[Google's Map App] Just Works".

 

[BruceEBonus]

Lets admit it and deny it nae langer ...

Apple HAD to get something to boast about with the 'new' iPhone 5 .. and Maps and Flyover was it .. albeit half finished ... but didint it look good on the Keynote?

Their only mistake was to release it before the new model is released tomorrow - but of course there'll always be narrowminded and naive fan base that would buy a turd rolled in glitter if it had Apple written on it.

I was going to get a iPhone 5 for Siri, Maps and Panorama and added speed compared to my current iPhone 4.

Now Ive seen that Maps 'dont work'. That Panorama can be bought in other guises off the App Store for less than a quid .. and speeding up things .. is only going to make IOS 6 appear slightly snappier is a tall order to demand £600 of my hard earned cash.

Sadly - I do have a life. I do have other things to buy in these austere times and beleive it or not - the world does NOT revolve around a 'spruced up smartphone' and now I ve seen how underwhelming the new OS is. How a slightly longer and lighter isnt the ground breaking event we were all expecting - and Apple have dropped a bollock with this one in their rush to get rich.

Theres two markets that are thriving in these hard times. The budget store market and the luxury store market. Apple obviously belong to the latter.

But luxury items have to work properly and have a USP that trounce the competition. Looks like the iPhone 5 and IOS 6 fall below Steve Jobs' ideals.

Im a big Apple fan and own many of their products .. but this smacks of a downhill trend .. which has to be shaken NOW

CHeers! Thats it

Now you can go!

 

[lilo777]

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I really like the new Maps.

Could you be more specific? Do you like how it may lead you on a wild goose chase or how it always misleads government (and everybody else) about your location?

 

[rak007]

Would appreciate if someone can post a screenshot of Mumbai, India

 

[lilo777]

Would appreciate if someone can post a screenshot of Mumbai, India

I would, but Mumbai, India is missing on Apple maps. Is it a small village or something?

 

[50548]

Absolutely NO problems here, despite the fact that the depth of the Apple Maps can't, of course, be compared yet with Google's seven-year lead. To expect otherwise is simply IDIOTIC.

I've tested with several locations in Brazil and Switzerland and things seem pretty accurate to me - not to mention that the vector-based graphics are WAY faster and more responsive than anything in Google Maps.

And since I don't really care about Street View, I don't think I will fret much - Google will come up with a Google Maps app anyway, so what the heck?

 

[Christoffee]

Well, that's it then. Will most likely restore my iOS5 back up, and I won't upgrade to ML for fear of wreaking my battery (I was stung with Lion and won't be again).

My Apple products have stagnated!

 

[Macshroomer]

Ya I understand about the public transportation. Are there any other apps that give this functionality out there currently?

No, when you tap the bus icon when setting a route for a given area, the Apple maps app sends you to the App Store to download or even buy a transportation app....you could conceivably end up with hundreds of stupid transportation apps if you travel a lot, not productive at all.

With the Google based app, it was all inclusive, real time and seamless....now it is totally gone....

 

[Hattig]

I find it funny how unforgiving people are. Google has been doing these maps for YEARS. Apple JUST released theirs. Give it some time and it will get better. Maybe better than Google. You can't really expect Apple to top Google Maps from the get-go.

People buying a high end smartphone these days will expect a working mapping application.

I'm sure it will get better - in the future. That's does sweet FA for a user today.

Still, there are Android and Windows phones to choose from instead.

 

[1=1?]

The app is trash. If you're going to act like you make the best everything and want to start pushing google out of your products and siding with msft you better be able to back it up. I actually put an order in for an iphone5 and the order got messed up and now I think i'll wait and get something different.

 

[fatboyslick]

Must be a long ass road if there is one because Luton (seaside village) is in Southwest England near Blackpool, where Luton (Bedfordshire town) is in the southest/south near London.

oh so it's just bringing up the wrong luton

 

[KPOM]

I cancelled my reservation for an iPhone 5. If the Google Maps app magically appears in the AppStore in the next few weeks, maybe I'll re-order an iPhone 5 -- I'm heavily invested in the iOS ecosystem. I still like the OS. But failing that, I'm probably going to go buy a Galaxy Nexus or something.

This is just too painful.

That's rather drastic. You can download Google Maps' web app now (www.google.com/maps), and get back most of the functionality. Google will have a native solution soon enough, since they don't want to lose the ad revenue.

I also don't buy the "Steve Jobs would have never let this happen" argument. It's largely because of Steve Jobs that Apple and Google are in this spat. It is difficult to make a good Maps app. It took Google years to do so and it concentrates on software and web services. Hopefully Apple Maps gets up to speed quickly, since as the native solution it is the map most tightly integrated. However, in the meantime, I'm using a combination of Apple Maps and Google Maps' web app.

 

[lilo777]

Absolutely NO problems here, despite the fact that the depth of the Apple Maps can't, of course, be compared yet with Google's seven-year lead. To expect otherwise is simply IDIOTIC.

I've tested with several locations in Brazil and Switzerland and things seem pretty accurate to me - not to mention that the vector-based graphics are WAY faster and more responsive than anything in Google Maps.

And since I don't really care about Street View, I don't think I will fret much - Google will come up with a Google Maps app anyway, so what the heck?

It should be mentioned that Google Maps on Android uses vector graphics (has been for quite a while).

 

[fatboyslick]

No, when you tap the bus icon when setting a route for a given area, the Apple maps app sends you to the App Store to download or even buy a transportation app....you could conceivably end up with hundreds of stupid transportation apps if you travel a lot, not productive at all.

With the Google based app, it was all inclusive, real time and seamless....now it is totally gone....

In the Uk the top suggestion for a transport app cost £49 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Hattig]

Do a Directions search to there and chances are there's a road called Luton Road and it's basing it's mappiong on that - did for me in Cheadle...or should i say Cheadle Road

Unacceptable really, the system should search by major geographical features (e.g., city names, town names, village names, landmarks, ...) before minor road names.

 

[chagla]

Would appreciate if someone can post a screenshot of Mumbai, India

here you go

 

[michaelsaxon]

Yeah, the new maps is really bad. Not at all ready for primetime.

 

[lilo777]

Enough with the sad stuff

As far as mapping services are concerned, if you want to see something special ask a friend with Android phone/tablet to show you Google StreetView in a compass mode (be aware they may not even know they have this mode). It's a real treat!

 

[glynhughes]

Ok guys I would like you to make a 3D map of a town a make sure everything is perfect.

I infer from this that you believe one shouldn't criticise something unless one is an expert (or at least experienced) in the field.

The Chinese legal system is BS.
That's all I have to say about it.

What part of the Chinese legislature do you work in?

 

[mikerudolph22]

Well that's great, because I've been telling TT of it's map errors for London since I bought my first TT satnav....have they listened? NOPE! Their stupid CS people have the gall to try and flog me a map update package, so I can check if my corrections have been included.

Yeah...It's going to be a while, I'm sure.